"[A]ll videos should be no longer than three minutes. Speak clearly and from the heart. Five finalists will be selected by a judging panel comprised of Paolo Coelho, Arianna Huffington and Muhammad Yunus. These finalist videos will then go to public vote on January 8, with a winner announced on January 19."

The winner will have access to a "special panel" at the Forum to talk about their cause.

If you're looking for tips when making your video for the contest, or for making YouTube videos for your nonprofit in general, check out these posts for ideas and advice:

Wednesday, December 23, 2009

I know more and more people are using calendars on their computers and cell phones, but I like paper calendars. There is something about writing things down by hand with different colored pens that I still love.

If you haven't purchased your 2010 calendar yet (or are looking for a last minute holiday gift), lots of nonprofits publish calendars.

I asked my Facebook and Twitter pals for suggestions, and they came up with the list below:

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

In the fall, Jennifer Lee, Lisa Sonora Beam, Kimberly Wilson, and I asked you to tell us what your ideal creative women entrepreneur gathering would look like by completing a survey. We were thrilled that 300+ of you shared your ideas with us! Thank you!

Here are some highlights of what you said:

Your preferred formats would be a retreat, or an online event

You are in the beginning stages of starting your businesses

You would like both early stage and established entrepreneurs to be a part of the gathering

Based on your input, we're thinking about holding an in-person retreat and an online event in Fall 2010. We'll keep you posted as things evolve. In the meantime, if you have favorite retreat locations you'd like to recommend, let us know!

We're continuing to vision and plan a fabulous experience for you, and we can't wait to connect with all of you vibrant and inspiring creative women entrepreneurs.

And congratulations to the winners of our raffle (you should each have been notified already via e-mail by your awardee):

This morning I finished putting together a hand-painted card and gift certificate for 6 career coaching sessions with me. A woman bought it for her artist friend for Christmas. Isn't that a nice gift?

Some of you might not know that I've been a career consultant for creative and do-good folks for the past 12 years. I've also been offering a new service recently that I'm calling blog therapy (one of my clients came up with the name. Isn't it cute?).

I've found that people often start blogging, or redesign their blog, during times of transition. Blog therapy mixes career coaching and blog coaching to help people create work they love, and a blog that expresses their new identity and enterprise.

If you're interested in giving a friend (or yourself!) some career coaching or blog therapy, shoot me an email at britt AT brittbravo DOT com. Giving the gift of a one-hour phone session is $95. Giving the gift of 4 one-hour phone sessions is $300.

i helped to start a neighborhood party that now happens every 6 weeks at a different neighbor's house each time. out of the event, there have been apartments found, relationships made, business brokered, friendships formed, and a stronger neighborhood created as a result.

My sorority contributes to the Robbie Page Memorial Fund every year and we also create a fun craft for children with terminal illnesses.

I am a Iron Soul. The Iron Souls is a Motorcycle Club based out of Oakland California that gives back to the betterment of the community. We like to ride Harley's, and have fun most of all, but we also work with foundations like Lend A Hand, Mother Wright Foundation, and a few others. We also do things like Turkey dive/giveaways to the less fortunite. We really have fun doing it too.

our school asb hosted a hats on day where students could wear hats to school to help raise funds for the foundation for children with cancer.

Habitat for Humanity is an awesome to meet people, have fun, AND do something amazing for a family. This organization is completely volunteer and donation reliant so it is satisfying to know that you are helping change someone's life. Building, painting, even nailing two boards together is giving hope to people that don't have sufficient help. I had a great time doing many projects with Habitat for Humanity and look forward to having more fun and accomplishing things in the future!

This all seems like common sense, but think of how many annual appeal letters you receive that tell sad stories, quote miserable statistics, and in general make you feel like, "What's the point of giving $50, or volunteering, it won't make a difference?" People want to feel like they are able to make a difference, which may be why, "Yes We Can," resonated with Obama supporters.

1. The gratitude2. The clear demonstration this is an organization that has tightened its belt and will stretch my dollar3. The tangible sense of where the money goes4. A reminder of why we love the arts and what it does for kids5. More gratitude

The appeal made her feel good, hopeful, and confident that her donation would make an impact.

The result of last year's experiment, which she wrote about in, Can a Girl Get a Thank-You Note, Please?, was that 4 of the 12 charities sent a thank you note. Her favorite came from Interplast because it told the story, with photos, of one boy whose life would be changed because of donations like hers.

I don't know about you, but I'm tired of bad news, angry emails, sad photos, and depressing statistics. Why would I donate or give my time to a lost cause? Please, help me believe that, yes, we can.

Wednesday, December 09, 2009

"All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood"--Article 1 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

Thursday, December 10th is Human Rights Day. This year's theme is, "embrace diversity, end discrimination." Two creative ways you can celebrate are by writing a letter, and making a YouTube video.

Join Amnesty's Global Write-a-thon December 5-13, and write a letter to help a human rights defender, prisoner of conscience, or other victim of human rights abuse. You can write letters by yourself, or find an event near you. The Amnesty site has resources to help you write your letter and organize an event, as well as success stories for inspiration about people whose lives were changed because of letter-writing campaigns.

Each month, YouTube's Video Volunteers program asks folks to make videos about organizations working on a particular issue. This month's issue is human rights. To participate, make a promotional, less than 3-minute video about a human rights organization whose work you admire. Submit it by December 21st. The top 3 videos will appear on the YouTube homepage at the end of the month.

When we think about human rights, we often think of extremes circumstances like torture, wrongful imprisonment, or genocide, but really, you can help preserve human rights in your everyday life. I like this Eleanor Roosevelt quote on the Every Human Has Rights site:

"Where, after all, do universal human rights begin? In small places, close to home - so close and so small that they cannot be seen on any maps of the world. Yet they are the world of the individual person; the neighborhood he lives in; the school or college he attends; the factory, farm, or office where he works."

"Such are the places where every man, woman, and child seeks equal justice, equal opportunity, equal dignity without discrimination. Unless these rights have meaning there, they have little meaning anywhere. Without concerted citizen action to uphold them close to home, we shall look in vain for progress in the larger world."

I think you'll find that many (not all) of the gifts on the lists below are collaborations between large national, or international nonprofits, and big brands. I encourage you to support the small, local nonprofits in your community with a gift donation. Better yet, why not give the gift of time to your family, and to an organization, by volunteering at a local nonprofit together during the holidays?

Whether you identify with the people profiled in the film's desire to create, be independent, work sustainably, make a living as an artist, preserve a craft, or find community, I think you'll be inspired by the film's end. I was.

I received a review copy of the DVD, which I'd be happy to send off to a lucky someone. To enter in the raffle to receive the DVD, post a comment on the Global Center for Cultural Entrepreneurship blog, where this post is cross-posted from, with your DIY/handmade holiday gift idea, and a way to contact you if you win, by December 21st.